US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese counterpart Wang Yi discussed on Wednesday a visit to the US in September by Chinese President Xi Jinping during an Asian gathering where ministers voiced concern about the Iran war and South China Sea tensions.
Rubio said he and Wang discussed at length the need to lay the groundwork for a "very positive visit" by Xi, and it was their job to manage the big differences between the two countries and ensure they did not get out of control.
Wang, on his part, demanded that the US, "respect China's core interests...effectively manage differences and disagreements, and address China's legitimate concerns," according to an official Chinese summary, which called the meeting "pragmatic, positive, and constructive."
Wang and Rubio agreed to, "make sound preparations for the next stage of high-level exchanges," Wang's ministry said in a statement.
The broader ASEAN meeting in Manila comes amid a flare-up in the conflict between the US and Iran, and while tensions simmer between Beijing and close US ally the Philippines over an incident in the South China Sea on Monday that led each to summon the other's ambassador.
Meeting with foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, who expressed concerns about the Middle East war, Rubio put the blame squarely on Iran.
"The problem we're having right now is that they're not serious about talks," he said. "If they're serious, we're serious. If they're not, then we will do what's necessary to protect our interests, and also the interests of our allies." He stressed that Iran could not be allowed to control the Strait of Hormuz, as it could set a dangerous precedent for other parts of the world.
Rubio's remarks follow his opinion piece in Philippine media on Tuesday that aimed at Beijing's conduct in the South China Sea, warning of "dire new threats" if those waters were to, "fall under the control of a power willing to use commerce as a geopolitical weapon."
Beijing claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea via a line on its maps that cuts into the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, and is at the centre of long-running disputes over a multitude of islands and features.
Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Monday's altercation between China's coast guard and Philippine Navy personnel in the South China Sea was risky and destabilising.
"The countries of the region have a choice to make about how we all respond to that," Wong told reporters.
China's foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian hit back at Wong, saying Australia had no right to intervene in the South China Sea and that Beijing, "urges relevant countries to stop stirring up tension and inciting confrontation."
Canada's top diplomat Anita Anand called the maritime tension "troubling" and, in an interview with Reuters, said a negotiated settlement in the Middle East was crucial, as was freedom of passage through waterways such as the Strait of Hormuz.
Disputes between the Philippines and China have increased in recent years as Manila takes a bolder stance on the South China Sea, while pursuing closer defence ties with treaty ally the United States, plus Australia and Japan.
The US has increased foreign military financing to $100 million for the 2026 fiscal year and is providing an additional $9 million to expand a Philippine Coast Guard pier on the island of Palawan, "to enhance Philippine maritime law enforcement presence and sustain operations in the South China Sea," the State Department said in a fact sheet.
Rubio's visit also came with a new US commitment to step up law enforcement cooperation with ASEAN countries on scams, cybercrime, drug trafficking and money laundering, the fact sheet said.
Washington was restarting a military training programme for officers from Cambodia, which had been suspended over Cambodia's suppression of political opposition, and expanding the training programme to officers from Brunei, it said.
China's Foreign Minister Wang had said on Tuesday some elements of the Philippines' security apparatus had engaged in deliberate provocations that served interests of "external forces", and Beijing could work with ASEAN to, "eliminate interfering factors".
He met ASEAN counterparts on Wednesday and told them their mutual trust and respect was essential, and together they could get things done and,"be the anchor for regional and global peace and development".
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov confirmed he would meet in Manila on Thursday with Rubio, who said he would discuss the Ukraine war, adding that Washington was looking to play a constructive role to end it.
Rubio also joined counterparts from India, Australia and Japan for a meeting of the Quad grouping that Beijing has criticised as being Cold War-like.
Rubio's meeting with Wang, which lasted about 90 minutes, came amid a fragile truce between the world's biggest economies that could be complicated by President Donald Trump's accusations of Chinese interference, which Beijing has rejected.
Rubio said those allegations were not discussed and the two talked about trade, Taiwan and areas for potential cooperation ahead of Xi's Washington trip.
Wang, "stated China's solemn position on a series of recent negative remarks and actions by the US side," and demanded the US abide by the "One China" principle, the Chinese foreign ministry said.
(Reporting by Michael Martina, Karen Lema, Nestor Corrales, Mikhail Flores in Manila; Additional reporting by Liz Lee, Eduardo Baptista and Shi Bu in Beijing and Simon Lewis in Washington; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Clarence Fernandez, Alison Williams, Toby Chopra, Rod Nickel)
